Your Love Is My Home
by anneshathagay
Summary: Debbie and Tammy are two homeless teens trying to survive while repressing their feelings for each other


**i saw this pic of a brunette and a blonde kissing in a shopping cart and it inspired me to write this.**

"Deb, slow down!"

Debbie just kept pushing the cart Tammy was in as fast as she could down the ramp in the garage mall they had just easily robbed.

Some may say the speed rate they were going at is dangerous but Debbie knew what she was doing. As reckless as the fun they were having seems, Debbie would never do anything if there was a chance Tammy got hurt in the process.

"Didn't think I'd live to see the day Debbie Ocean got tired." Tammy said teasingly as Debbie, tired of pushing the cart around, hopped in.

"Listen, it was a very steep ramp." Debbie replied, playfully rolling her eyes as the blonde giggled.

So, they just sat there inside the cart for a while to rest, confident they wouldn't get caught. That gave both of them a lot of time to think.

They've been best friends for years. Getting to that point was hard at first because of how guarded Debbie was. How guarded Debbie was until she met Tammy that is. Everything changed from then on.

One night, Tammy found Debbie getting caught shoplifting so she just went ahead and told the cashier she would pay for her. When they left, Tammy noticed the bruise mark on her friend's cheek and immediately asked what happened.

Debbie's abusive father found out she was gay and kicked her out is what happened.

At that moment, Tammy insisted Debbie come live with her. The brunette refused because she didn't want to be a burden until her best friend reminded her she could never be a burden to her and she would always be there for her.

Tammy did a surprisingly great job at hiding the fact Debbie was living with them from her family until that fateful day they got caught sleeping together. They were both forced to leave the house so now they resort to shoplifting in order to live in whatever place they can find.

Even after all that time, they still won't bring up the fact they actually slept together. They were practically professionals at repressing their feelings for each other.

But one thing's for sure; Tammy really did mean it when she said she would always be there for Debbie and the feeling was definitely mutual.

"Hey, don't." Debbie said as she nudged Tammy once she noticed the blonde was dozing off.

"Stop." Tammy shook it off and closed her eyes.

"It's not safe to sleep here."

"I'm tired and it's been a long day."

"Fine," Debbie sighed. "You never should've taken me in." She whispered under her breath but her voice was high enough for someone else to hear.

"What?" Tammy was suddenly wide awake. "What are you talking about?" She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"You know what I mean," Debbie ran a hand through her hair, knowing this would be a long conversation. "You wouldn't be here, struggling to stay awake inside a cart in a garage mall, if you had just let me deal with this on my own."

"If that's how you feel, then fine. But I, for one, have no regrets." Tammy firmly stated.

"Wha-"

"I told you I would always be there for you and I meant it," Tammy continued. "So don't pull that 'I'm badass and don't need anyone' crap on me because it won't work. You need me."

"No, I don't."

"You need someone to take care of you."

"I really don't."

"Everybody does," Tammy paused for a moment. "Because I need you too."

"You do?"

That was when Debbie finally looked up for the first time since their conversation started and Tammy could see her unshed tears. They showed just how much the brunette was struggling to keep it all inside.

"I told you," Tammy sent Debbie a reassuring half smile. "Everybody needs someone to take care of them."

"I can't take care of you when I can barely take care of myself." Debbie went to use the sleeve of her leather jacket to wipe away the lone tear that escaped her but she was stopped by her best friend's hand.

"You've been taking care of me since we met but you haven't been taking care of yourself," Tammy said as she pulled Debbie's arm down from her face and gently ran her finger across her cheek to wipe away the tear. "Let me help you."

"I can't ask you to do that."

And it was at that exact moment Tammy realized she was in love with Debbie.

She never leaves her mind. She's always been there; mentally and physically. It's just incomprehensible.

Debbie is Tammy's one stable force. Her one stability in a world filled with chaos and she so desperately needed that in her life. She loves Debbie so much for that. She's in love with her and she can't believe she's only just realized it.

Debbie's late mother once said she was a "diamond in the rough," and Tammy knew what she meant. But to her, Debbie was simply a diamond.

The rest of the world could be as rough as it desired but it never affected her. Well, not that she'd admit it if it did. She just shone with inner beauty all the same and put aside whatever was going on with her to help others including her best friend. That's part of why Tammy fell in love with her, that sparkle is something nothing and nobody could ever take away from Debbie.

This feeling of love is so strange to Tammy; it stretches throughout her whole body. It's overwhelming, yet makes her feel complete. It has no bound nor length nor depth.

It feels as though she's in danger, yet completely safe at the same time. It feels as though someone's finally given her peace. It feels as though a hole, she was never aware was even there, has been filled. She feels so light, like she's on top of the world yet her heart is constricting and it feels as if there's no oxygen in her lungs.

It's strange – frightening even – how you can go from someone being a complete stranger, to then being completely infatuated by them and wondering how it ever was that you were able to live without them, because you sure as hell couldn't imagine being without them now even if it meant not being with your family because that person has become your new family.

Tammy knows they're only young, and most people would consider her to be foolish and naïve, but it's true when she says that she loves Debbie more than she could ever love herself or anyone else for that matter. She's her best friend and, as cheesy as it sounds, she's her anchor. Her one stability in this world filled with chaos.

"You never had to ask."

As soon as those words came out of Tammy's mouth, she kissed Debbie and the world fell away. They both knew it was coming. A shy look before she pulled her face closer and their lips met. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never be.

Tammy's hand rested below Debbie's ear, her thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. The blonde ran her fingers down the brunette's spine, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of her heart against her chest.

"As soon as we meet I knew you were the one," Tammy breathed out once they pulled away, staring deep into Debbie's eyes. "The one I would spend my days thinking of and the one I would spend my nights dreaming about. The one who would hold me when I cried and the one who would laugh with me. The one I would share my life with, for better or for worse, and the one I would love. I knew all of that as soon as we met."

Debbie might've been momentarily speechless after listening to all of that but it didn't take long for her to reply. They've clearly both been waiting to say these things for a long time now. It was like their wedding vows.

"I keep falling in love with you and each time is harder than the last," Debbie started, doing something she wasn't very familiar with; opening up. "Every time the feeling gets deeper. There isn't a thing I wouldn't do to keep you safe especially after everything you've done for me. Don't ever think you have to ask for my affection because you don't, and you never did. The more love I give you the more I have bursting inside of me… Oh god, that was pretty cheesy wasn't it?"

"Hey, no, it's okay!" Tammy suddenly cut in. "Being cheesy's underrated. It's like, the more love we share the more it multiplies."

"Yeah," Debbie let out a small chuckle at how dorky Tammy was being. "So, does that mean we can stop pretending we're just friends?"

"Is that what you want?" Tammy asked. Her heart was pounding faster than it ever has.

"I do," Debbie took a deep breath. "Do you?"

"I do," Tammy smiles. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

To them, it didn't matter where they were or how much they were struggling. The reassurance that they would always have each other was good enough to keep them sane and happy.

They didn't need a home. They were each other's homes.


End file.
